VA- Once bitten twice shy
by LaylaShan
Summary: When 16 year old Layla is left by her boyfriend, she's determined on never seeing him again. Six months later, she's being chased and trapped by a stranger. Is he coming back to get her, or is something impossibly evil lurking in the shadows?
1. Chapter 1

VA – Once bitten, twice shy

I'm running, running so fast that my heart pounds against my chest. Running from someone behind me, someone dangerous. Or maybe something? I don't know. There's a metallic taste in my mouth and I'm panting heavily, while trying to not trip on anything. The story of my misery flashed before my eyes…

"You're nothing!" he said, looking at me like I was a filthy animal. I felt my heart explode and shatter into a thousand pieces. "Wh…What?" I whispered under my breath, tears burning in my eyes. "You heard me. I still do not understand how I was able to love you, even LOOK at you!" he screamed at me. My best friend for years… The guy I thought was the love of my life… I shrink under his words while trying to keep the tears in. Suddenly a raging fire lit in me, turning my pulse up to the maximum. "How COULD YOU!" I shrieked in Laurence's face. "How COULD YOU, use me like that! PRETEND TO LOVE ME!" Tears of anger and sorrow ran down my face, probably screwing up the little of mascara I usually apply every day.

"Because you deserve it." He replies without showing even a glimpse of emotion, just a cold ice wall. It felt like the whole world was dissolving around me, tearing at the seams. The anger had left my body, leaving sadness to consume me and take away my capability of feeling ever again. "But… why?" I said, stuttering slightly. "I'm finished explaining myself to you." He turned around abruptly, just beginning to leave when my hand shot forward and turned him around. "YOU. FUCKING. ASSHOLE." The sound of a fist crushing bone broke the winter silence. I was on fire again. Blood form his broken nose covered my clenched fist. He looked at me with a face I'd never seen on him before.

It was an expression of total vulnerability, surprise and hurt. His face hardened again, the small glimpse of helplessness gone in an instant. "You! TRUST ME, this is not over!" he roared. And with his hand covering the bloody nose, he ran away. Leaving me and my broken heart behind…

This was six months ago. I'd never seen him since that day in the snow, and here I am, running from danger in a hot daze. Maybe he kept his promise. Maybe it's his ice cold breath making the hairs in my neck rise. Oh. My. GOD. The attacker was speeding up, getting closer. I was trying to speed up as well, but I couldn't. My feet were aching and threatening to collapse right from under me. I slowly began to realize that I wouldn't be able to keep it up, and as I turned and fled into a dark alley I knew I'd lost. A dead end was blocking my last chance to safety about ten meters away. I felt the desperate sobs escape me as I was forced to a stop, slamming into the dark brick wall. No… I couldn't have lost. The ice cold breath I'd felt on my neck stopped. I turned around very, very slowly, trying to be brave. I gasped, feeling how all hope left me and was replaced with gut wrenching terror.

"Hello Layla, remember me?" The tall and handsome, but pale Laurence. I screamed. In pure survival instinct, I tried running back the way I came. A hand grabbed my shoulder and threw me in the air. For a moment, I was free of all fear. Then it ended. I felt the impact on my body as I slammed into a hard wall. A flash of unbearable pain shot through me. I sank down in a messy heap against the wall. My sight was clouded, everything was just… foggy. The pain made it even harder to focus, but I saw the dark figure moving towards me. His laugh echoed through the alley, taunting me. "Did you really think it would be THAT easy to escape?" he said in a tone that clearly stated he was mocking me. "What… do you want from me?" I whispered, moaning at the pain it brought to speak. He knelt down beside me, grabbed me by the waist and yanked me up in standing position. I shrieked out aloud, tears running down my cheeks like tiny rivers. "I want revenge" he said, pushing me into the wall with an evil smile. I screamed again. A hot, sticky liquid was staining my white T-shirt. I noticed new things about him through the fog.

He was so… cold. His grip on my waist was freezing, uncomfortable. His once tanned skin; replaced by an extremely pale, almost white color. There wasn't a single tan spot of sin left on him. I forced my eyes to look into his. What met my stare was a pair of glowing, seductive, dangerous RED eyes.

I went completely stiff. I couldn't run, could not scream, just look at the eyes. I was scared as hell. He leaned closer to me, so close that the eyes were practically the only thing I saw. "I want your pain" he whispered, and suddenly his expression changed, showing me the same vulnerability I saw six months ago. It all happened too fast for me to react or understand what was happening.

He leaned in closer and his lips met mine. First it was soft, only a slight touch, an ice cold breeze. I was so shocked that I didn't even know my own feelings. His kiss intensified and he grabbed my shoulders. I shook slightly, in pain. And that's when I came back to my senses. My whole body was pulsing with confusing, incompatible emotions. But I knew that I was angry. Quite frankly, I was pissed off. He told me I was nothing, and then he KISSES ME? I concentrated all my strength upon forcing my hands to his chest. I pushed him away as hard as I could. Blindly, he tried leaning in again. I acted on instinct and slapped him in the face. I stifled another scream while trying to stop the wound on my arm from bleeding. He laughed mockingly at me and came back. He didn't have a single mark on his face, nothing that could tell he'd just been smacked in the face. "Oh I REALLY like it when you do that babe" Ilooked at him, confused. "I'm not your BABE. And what do you… mean?" The wound was opening up; I could see the tip of a bone sticking out of my elbow. I felt nauseous.

"I think you know what I mean, look at my eyes" he pointed at the red spotlight eyes and licked his lips. He then breathed slowly, inhaled and exhaled. It couldn't be true… He couldn't be. "Look at my lips. Those you used to kiss all the time…" He laughed again and traced his perfect lips with a finger. "I am Laurence." He said slowly, marking every word like he was talking to a mentally disabled kid. He leaned closer to me. I didn't like him being this close to me, but I couldn't force my terrified self to move. "I am a predator, a kind of… animal" He opened his mouth and showed me a set of sharp, abnormally long side teeth. "No… NO!" I shouted, pressing myself as hard as I could against the ice cold wall, everything to delay the final moment. "I am a vampire. This" he grabbed my hands and pinned them to the wall. I cried out in pain. "Is me, about to kill… YOU" His teeth closed in on my neck.


	2. Chapter 2 - Saved

Chapter 2 – Saved

The first hit was the worst. I remember him slamming my head into something hard, before a crack and a pinch in my neck followed. The pain was unbearable, my head was fuzzy and I blacked out for a few seconds. A few seconds of blessed silence. Everything went foggy and blurry. He hit me again, broke several of my ribs and pounded me to the floor in his violent draining daze. I felt numb, every cell of my being ached with pain. I was not able to react, not even make a single sound. Blood… The metallic taste flowed into my mouth and gushed out of it, making me cough. What a destiny… drowning in my own blood. Another sweet kiss, so he can steal away the thick red fluid. A bite to the neck again. I gasped. Oh how hopeless it was, all I could do was feeling the last drops of my very life leaving me, drained at the hands of a thirsty vampire. I felt my heartbeat slow down, my soul leaving my body. My eyes fluttered, taking a last look at the world through a red veil. All I saw was two red lights and something bloodstained before my whole world darkened. Everything went black.

I faded in and out of consciousness as time passed by. The first time I awoke, the pain overpowered me and made me black out the same second. I didn't make much progress as day and night passed by. No one came to get me, not a single soul passed me by or knew that I was here. The only thing I knew for certain was this: I still laid on the dirty ground, my blood staining the nearby walls and garbage bins. And the fact that Laurence was gone, to my big surprise. Why didn't he just kill me? When would it end… When would I finally die?

"She's still alive!" I heard a voice say. I tried to open my eyes, bit I was not able to even move my fingers. I was waiting for death to embrace my broken soul and erase the bloodstains from my innocence. I felt something – A hand? – touch my chest. Even though the touch didn't really press my skin, I cried out and shook slightly. "Oh…" The voice was male, deep and calming. A slight wind blew across my face. "She will not survive for much longer. We will have to change her." This was a different voice. Still male, but whispery, monotone and with a slight accent. "Adrian?" Someone sighed. It fell to my awareness that I was in the presence of three men, all of them completely unknown to me. I didn't really care; I knew I'd die anyways. My intuition kicked in. Somehow I could sense that these guys were nowhere close to being normal.

Someone growled. "Cade" the guy with an accent said. I could tell this wasn't an offer. It was an order. "Don't make me do this." The man with the calming voice must've been Cade. Cade… Adrian… Something about these names sounded surprisingly familiar, but the overwhelming pain clouded my memory. "I'm not going to ask again. Either you change her, or she dies." The accent underlined every single word he said. I was about to lose consciousness again, but I used my last bit of strength to stay awake. "Cade…" I whispered and groaned. It was so painful just to open my mouth and speak… Someone carefully lifted me, and then a cold body embraced me. "Shh, it's gonna be okay, I promise" His voice was like a lullaby, poisoning me. Every fiber of my being sparked, hiding away the pain for a moment. Strange as it was, I felt safe in his arms. I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was darkness. I tried to focus on what was in front of me, and that's when I saw him. He was so beautiful. His face was divine, like something crafted by the angels. Pale skin… so cold, like marble. A pair of bright, yellow eyes stared into my dark ones. They seduced me, made me feel safe. "Sleep now" he said, closing my eyes with his fingers. I relaxed and finally let go. I just barely noticed something sharp dig into my neck, then death finally approved to my request and I was gone.

Danger. I was running through empty streets, trying to find something. Someone. Snow was falling as I ran past deserted cinemas, restaurants and mossy houses with crumbled stone fences. None of the building were tall, three stories at the most. This made me think of a picture I'd seen a few years ago, when I was surfing on the web. A frightening cityscape. The air was thick with dust and ashes, everywhere there was deserted, destroyed buildings, the ruins of a once civilized town. What was the name again…? I tried to think, but I found it extremely hard because of the snow. It blinded me, made it harder to breathe. Then I noticed the smell. I stopped and concentrated. The snow falling from the sky was grey. I let a tiny snowflake fall into my opened palm. It didn't feel cold like it should have.

It felt wrong. I used the fingers on my left hand to carefully smudge and spread the gray snowflake. The smell. It was smoke, burned wood and… Death. And the snow wasn't snow. It was ashes.

"The snowlike ashes falls from the sky, making this deserted town look lost an innocent. But underground, the voices of a hundred burned children can be heard, calling for revenge. Silent Hill is not a place you would want to get lost in."

Silent Hill. I'm in silent hill. A scream of sheer terror escaped my lips.


	3. Chapter 3 - My Promise

Chapter 3 – My promise

My legs sprinted full speed through town. My survival instinct tried to find a way out of this horrifying place. A bomb alarm roared. At that moment, I knew I was helpless. Doomed to fall into eternal darkness amidst the trapped souls of hundreds, maybe thousands of children. Children accused of being witches. Something grabbed me and threw me into the rests of a white picket fence. "What do you want from me?" I yelled, suddenly, he was right next to me. "I want your pain" he whispered. Laurence's eyes beamed with pure evil and desire as he bit into my neck.

"NOOOOO!" I flew up in sitting position, my hand to my neck. Nothing was there. Thank god I thought while trying to control my terrified breathing. It was just a dream, a horrible dream. I noticed something move in the corner of my eye, at the same time I also noticed this was not my room. The air was different. It wasn't even Norway, I was sure of that. "Wha…" My heart should have sped up as the fear for this new place increased, but it didn't. I gasped. There was… no heartbeat! I screamed again in gut wrenching terror. Wiithout me wanting it, a wave of frustration, confusion and sorrow hit me, making me utter loud sobs.

I tore my hair, my ears were ringing. I felt like running away, but where would I run? This isn't my country, it can't be. So instead I did the exact opposite. I made myself as small as possible and buried my face in my hands, shaking in rhythm with the desperate sobs. "Please don't cry" a vaguely familiar voice said. I looked up, embarrassed that I'd failed to notice him in my weakest moment. Cade was leaning against a wall with beautiful oak ornaments, staring at me. He looked uncomfortable and tense. Small pieces of my memory came back, I remember that night in the streets. The way he looked at me, held me in his arms. I looked down, even more embarrassed. I knew he only did it out of friendly concern, but somehow it felt different. But it couldn't be. Everything slowly came back to me.

Laurence had almost completely drained me of all my blood. He was a vampire. But if I died in that alley… then why am I here, alive? It was so dark; the only source of light came from a fireplace in the corner of the room. I heard the crackling of burning wood. I looked at my hands, amazed that I was able to see them so clearly. Where there should have been open wounds and dry blood, it was spotless, clean. Even though the reddish glow from the fire made my skin look warm, it was cold. Cold, and extremely pale.

In shock, I crawled out of the couch I was lying in before. With surprisingly firm movements I walked to the middle of the room. Cade stiffened and stared at me like he was about to jump at me. I breathed slowly in and out. I didn't feel the need for oxygen like I used to. Breathing felt like wasting time, like I didn't need it for anything but… smelling my victims. Without my wanting, my feet dropped underneath me. Just as I was about to hit the ground, he grabbed me and embraced me. I cried like I've never cried before. He pulled me even closer, whispering calming words into my ear. "It's gonna be okay. I promise. I promise." Weird as it was, it made me cry even harder. My fingers dug into his back, but either he didn't notice or he didn't care. He just hugged me even tighter. I think I carried on crying for a very long time, letting myself disappear into the safe arms of this familiar, but yet unfamiliar guy.

After a while, the noisy sobs that escaped my lips faded. I slowly lifted my head to look into his eyes. Immediately the warm, yellow eyes paralyzed me, stopping all confusing thoughts in my head. It was so scary, I'd never felt like this before. When other people looked into my eyes, it was usually just for a brief moment. No insight, no contact. Cades had a way of looking into the very depths of my soul and at that moment, he let me see into his. Under these dreamy, friendly eyes there was a hidden weak spot. A loss bringing great despair, the ticking of a bomb. As time passed by, that turned into…

He looked away and the spell was broke. With tears still streaming down my face, I cleared my throat. "Who are you?" I asked. My voice had slightly changed. It had gone from the normal to a slightly more… melodious type, strong. He smiled at my confused expression. "I think you know who I am. You said my name, remember? Caaaaade…" He mimicked my weak, almost dead voice and gave me a playful smile. This made me giggle, we laughed for a few seconds. "Adrian, Latimer, Coran… You're… real?" I noticed that my voice trembled a little. It was a lot to take in. "Coran? As rude and impatient as usual. Latimer is still around and Adrian is alive" he said, still smiling at me. Charmer. I took a moment to think about this, trying to get used to the thought.

The world of Venin Abyss, an animated series I had absolutely ADORED from day one was real. All the placed, things that happened, creatures… "Wh... What are you?" I asked. His face suddenly turned serious, bitter. "I am like the creature that almost killed you, just less controlled by my… thirst" he slowly answered. I swallowed hard. "Then what am I?" He became silent for a little while, trying to find the right words maybe. Then he took a really good look at me, starting at my feet, up my torn, bloody jeans, the ripped, not-so-white T-shirt and ending at my face. He looked at me intensively. I returned the stare and found myself a little bit lost again. I could sense the slight tingle right under my skin, the electricity bouncing from me to him like we were magnets attracting each other. Cade raised his hand and gently stroked my cheek, still looking at me.

"You… are beautiful" he whispered. Suddenly he was gone, the door was flung open. I could barely see a shadow move through it in the blink of an eye. "You should get more sleep, someone will get you tonight" Cade's voice said. He was already far away, I could barely hear him. I closed the door slowly, sighed and leaned against it. What the heck just happened? My cheek still buzzed and tingle form where he had touched it. Something between me and that young man had connected in a way that's too complicated to explain. After Laurence broke my heart, I deemed myself untouchable and made a promise to myself that I would never fall in love again. Could it be that I was about to break the promise? I hurled myself into the sofa and grabbed a soft pillow from the floor, holding on to it.

No. Never love, never trust anybody, I reminded myself. All kinds of thoughts were attacking my head, mentally exhausting me. I decided it would be best for me to get some sleep, let my mind rest. Slowly, I closed my eyes and fell soundly asleep in the blink of an eye.


	4. Chapter 4 - Spotted

Chapter 4 – Spotted

Dream, dream... dreamless. My eyes slowly opened, revealing the same, warm and half-darkness from before. Which meant that it was no dream. I really was in a big mansion somewhere in Massachusetts, I had met Cade. All the others also existed. Vampires were real… and I was one of them. It was so shocking, so breathtakingly surreal that I barely managed taking it in. Not that it was anywhere near necessary. I slowly got up from the soft, old couch, also noticing that I was still wearing the ragged, bloodstained outfit from the night I almost died. There was a door next to the couch I slept on.

I grabbed the doorknob, silently hoping there was a shower inside. It was. In fact, this bathroom was almost as big as the room behind me and looked just like any other bathroom. Soft towels to the left, a sink to the right and a huge bathtub in front of me that looked like it was carved into the very wall. On a stool next to the sink there was a little, neatly folded heap of clothes. Wow, they really did consider everything. I forced a faint smile onto my lips, tried as hard as I could to be a tiny bit optimistic. I filled the tub, quickly undressed and let myself sink into the steamy, bubbly water. All of my troubles seemed to melt away with the dirt. It felt amazing. I closed my eyes and dreamed myself away to better places, just like the old days. Suddenly, a dark presence invaded my mind.

Darkness. Wings. Beautiful, black wings like those you see on crows and ravens. A perfectly curved smile. Lines, muscular lines. Lean, but strong. His face, like nothing I'd ever seen before. His voice was so soft, dark and alluring that it could make every single girl in this world swoon. And he talked to ME. This mysterious, beautiful young man, a stranger. "No dear, I'm no stranger to you" He said, walking… no, flying a little bit closer. Black feathers loosened from his wings and floated around like flower petals. I looked into his eyes. They were so down to earth, so inviting.

No other color disturbed the deep brown. I could sense the mystique, the secrets hidden in those eyes. He flew even closer, so that I could see him even better. He touched my chin as tears of blood ran down his face. The sadness and longing that seemed to be filling his gaze, was heartbreaking. In fact, the very beauty of him was. "We will be together again, I promise" he whispered. Then he started to fade away. "Wait, I don't understand!" I shrieked, desperate to have him here for just a few more seconds. "I am the incarnation of your biggest dreams and desires. And I will never let you go." Then he was gone, leaving only the faint echo of his voice behind.

I really didn't understand any of it. It still puzzled me as I looked through the clothes that had been given to me. I gasped. In front of me, I held a beautiful long dress, colored just the same blue as my eyes. It was the kind of dress you could see in medieval times, worn by queens and duchesses. Along with it, there was a hooded cape in the same color and a simple necklace with a black feather surrounded by white pearls. The feeling of being protected soared through me when I touched it. I knew this wasn't part of the hosts' gift to me. It was from him… I fastened it around my neck. "Mine…" It was his voice, soft like the wind. I turned, but of course he wasn't there.

Automatically, my lips curled into a smile. Time only knew what would happen next. I carefully slipped into the dress and looked at myself in the mirror. It fitted perfectly. The way my almost dry hair curled down my shoulders complimented my features. I turned to walk out the door, just to find out a figure was blocking it. That supreme, teasing smirk was easy to recognize. "Coran" I blurted out, keeping my distance. A harsh, dark laugh erupted from him when he saw how shy I suddenly became.

"Relax, I just arrived. Latimer wants you downstairs and as the kind, courteous guy I am, I decided to follow you there." His rudeness was unbelievable. "Why thank you" I replied, doing nothing to hide the dripping sarcasm in my voice. He laughed again and bowed. "May I ask you to follow my lead, madam?" Then he turned and started walking, so overconfident that I would just tag along. I uttered an annoyed little grunt before walking after him. Why did he have to be so damn cocky? He led me through endless halls, taking me further into this maze of a house. When it felt like we'd walked for a long time, he led me down a couple of stairs and into a big library.

Everything about this room was creepy and mystic. The walls were a dark red color, the floor was in hard rock. Tall bookshelves full of old looking books were set up against the walls. The only wall space that wasn't occupied by antique books and papers were taken by a superior fireplace. Over it, there was a picture of a couple of vases on a table. The only light provided was from lit candles places around the room. There was a couple of velvet sofas set up in a half circle around the fireplace. All of them were occupied by pale, beautiful statues. Except they were not statues, but vampires.

All of them. Latimer, Coran's wife and daughter, a couple of other yellow eyed vampires and Cade. Then I spotted the difference. Leaning against the fireplace, a young, red haired vampire was observing me carefully. His eyes weren't yellow like the others. They were a strong, bold red. And in his arms was a girl. Probably younger than him, very pale, white hair. Her orangey eyes stared at me with confusion and surprise. She wasn't just a girl. She was Michelle. I gasped and my eyes kept blinking to confirm that it was reality. My friend, one of my best friends. Here. With HIM? "Lena!" Her expression turned from surprised to thrilled in the blink of an eye as she was released from Adriens arms and ran towards me. I caught her and gave her a big hug. "Oh my god, Michelle?" I said and looked at her. She had changed so much from the shy, sweet girl I once knew. She looked much more confident now, it radiated from her. I knew she was sweet and beautiful, but it had been doubled a gazillion times from her supernatural changes. Sweeter than soft rose petals falling from the sky. "Yeah, it's me! And you… you're here!" She was so excited her voice went up a tone, so light it seemed like she was singing while speaking.

I laughed and smiled. "Of course I am, I told ya' I'd come get you one day" I blinked, and we probably looked like the type of high school teen besties you see in movies. She looked at me with awe, grabbing my face with her hands. "GAWD, you're so BEAUTIFUL! That dress looks PERFECT on you!" I shook my head. "Pffft, the only thing that changed is my skin and eyes, don't make a fuss" I said. As usual, I was HORRIBLE at taking compliments. It just wasn't my thing and made me feel… well, weird. "I do agree, that dress fitted you perfectly." Latimer walked into the room. His steps were subdued and quiet. He seemed to be amused, smiling for a split second before returning to the same solemn, mystic appearance I knew. "Welcome to our family, Layla."


End file.
